Bienvenidos a Chicago Curated!
Chicago's events are scattered across a dozen platforms, easy to miss. No single place to learn about events. Much less a group chat.
I hit this problem myself, hopping between platforms and calendars just to find out where to go.
Instead of sitting on the issue, I solved it.
Say hi in my group chat — Chicago Curated!
I'm not here to trick you into joining Chicago Curated, or to sell you on it. To cut through the internet's constant subscribe-and-like vibe, let me be clear about who I am — and what I'm curating.
I'm Natalia.
I am Latina. I am interesting. I am full of life. I am kind. More than that, I say what I mean and I do what I say.
I am also confident and self-aware.
Self-aware enough to admit this took me longer to roll out than it should have. Why? Because committing to lead a community and its communication takes more than a deep breath and Claude. It takes time, effort, and energy.
If you're brave enough to attend events, I am brave enough to provide you access, agency, and safe space.
I am here to welcome you if you are open to meeting new people and trying new things.
I curate events for people of color and prioritize marginalized voices within Chicago's AI, tech, and creative spaces. I don't promote cis-white-heterosexual agendas that leave no space for the communities I belong to.
Affirmative action has nothing to do with it. Neither does looking good in a polarized world. Traditional networking events aren't fun for me, so I skip them.
I like networking events with flavor, rhythm, and culture. Sometimes this means I am in an Atlanta-style huddle, other times it means I am watching a Bangladeshi-American poet perform an original piece about a temazcal owner named Fernando trying to kill him in a sauna.
To be transparent, I went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and joined a business frat. I've sat through more of these events than one lifetime should require, so these days I mostly skip them.
I steer clear of events where hosts just talk at me. The internet killed my attention span. No need to pretend otherwise. If I wanted a lecture, I'd take an online certification instead.
I recognize that I am not everyone's cup of tea. So on this website, I let AI publish every event, unfiltered — you can curate for yourself.
I won't hold anyone's hand as they begin attending events, but here are a few goals I set for myself as a host and curator:
- Having deep intellectual conversations
- Welcoming everyone with a smile
- Leading with knowledge and transparency
- Curating and promoting events with warmth and safety
- Connecting different people who fit their goals or vibe
- Being genuine and authentic
- Ensuring positive environments
As an IRL host, I give access and agency to people in a variety of ways. The first, and arguably the most useful, is by teaching AI workshops that provide communities with the skills and knowledge to move forward.
AI in Chicago's zeitgeist is controversial, and many are resistant. A feeling that I sometimes share, especially when I forget which Claude model I'm running or need to figure out API keys.
As much as I wish I lived on an off-grid farm, I don't. I am on social media. I own a smartphone. Even if I do not want to admit it, AI is here. It is in my pocket.
I believe people should understand AI. The AI community around me believes this too. It is a space where people can decide for themselves if they want to use AI – or not.
Outside of AI, I host events where what I care about meets what my community needs.
The Parallels of Social Media
Co-hosted with Gerardo "Gera" Lopez, Creative Director — high-level brand strategy meets the practical mechanics of visibility, taught in the same room, at the same time, by two people who actually do the work.
Gerardo and I also work together as a creative agency, handling both paid and organic ads. We provide content shooting with a videographer and photographer, edit, and handle all marketing for our clients. Our workshops focus on organic growth for brands under 50k followers on social media.
As a Content Strategist, I align identity with content. Does your content match your values?
I work with clients to critically examine their workflows, identify AI touchpoints that strengthen rather than dilute their voice, and build practical solutions to their content challenges. I ask simple questions—the kind that bypass existential dread and open real conversations.
Clients leave with two things: a clear vision and a clear roadmap to reach it.
Schedule a 15-minute introduction→Every Sunday, I send Chicago Curated—a newsletter about events and people shaping the city. On Substack, I write personal essays about voice, identity, literature, craft, authenticity, and what it means to build community in an age of algorithms.
I write every day: scripts, social media hooks, poetry, journal entries. Not because I'm disciplined. Because the writing clarifies what I actually think.
Substack is where I live. It holds everything: essays, experiments, the full archive of how my thinking has shifted. But Chicago Curated is different. It's a love letter to my everyday life – and it changes what work means to me. It's where a conversation becomes an idea. It's where I document the people and gatherings that matter, the conversations happening in real rooms, the resistance and hope tangled together.
Read the newsletter → Schedule a 15-minute introduction→